Federal investigators are beginning the long process of determining what caused a skydiving plane crash in western Missouri that killed 12 people Sunday, a tragedy that has renewed scrutiny of safety practices within parts of the skydiving industry.
The single-engine turboprop aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff from Butler Memorial Airport, about an hour south of Kansas City. Authorities said all 12 people aboard were killed as family members watched from the ground.
The National Transportation Safety Board has not identified a cause, and investigators cautioned that it could take a year or longer before a final report is released. Preliminary findings are expected in the coming weeks.
While the circumstances surrounding Sunday’s crash remain unknown, aviation safety experts say past investigations into skydiving accidents have frequently uncovered maintenance deficiencies, inadequate oversight and weak safety cultures.
“These skydiving operations don’t have the best maintenance to make sure they’ve got airworthy airframes and engines because they don’t undergo the normal scrutiny that an air charter service does,” said Jeff Guzzetti, a former crash investigator with both the NTSB and the Federal Aviation Administration.
The NTSB has repeatedly raised concerns about the regulation of skydiving operations.
Following a 2019 crash in Hawaii that killed 11 people, investigators concluded the FAA’s oversight system was not strong enough to ensure the safety of commercial skydiving flights.
In that case, investigators found that damage from an earlier incident had gone unrepaired and was not detected during inspections.
A separate NTSB review of 32 skydiving accidents between 1980 and 2008 identified recurring problems involving aircraft maintenance, inspections and pilot training. The agency recommended stronger safety measures, though some recommendations were not adopted.
The Missouri crash comes just two years after another skydiving aircraft accident near the same airport. In that incident, all occupants survived after parachuting to safety.
Investigators later determined that a skydiver’s emergency parachute handle became entangled during a jump, causing a collision with part of the aircraft and the crash.
Despite such incidents, the skydiving industry points to a long-term decline in fatalities.
According to the United States Parachute Association, 16 civilian skydivers died nationwide last year out of roughly 3.47 million jumps, a fatality rate of 0.46 deaths per 100,000 jumps. Most were attributed to human error.
The aircraft involved in Sunday’s crash was a Pacific Aerospace 750XL, a model widely used by skydiving operators because its cabin can be configured to accommodate jumpers. FAA records show the plane was manufactured in 2010.
The aircraft was operated by Skydive Kansas City, part of the Bucketlist Experience group. The company promotes skydiving training and safety instruction for new participants.
For now, investigators are focused on recovering evidence and examining the aircraft’s maintenance history, operations and final moments before the crash. Officials have stressed that no conclusions should be drawn until the investigation is complete.
